Piers Morgan admits his relentless focus on the gun control debate 'wasn't good for ratings'

Piers Morgan, the TV personality who hosted the eponymous CNN night talk show between 2011 and 2014 admits his insistence on continuously covering gun control issues "wasn't good for ratings."

Despite leaving the show earlier than many people than expected, Morgan told the audience at Advertising Week London on Wednesday he didn't get fired.

Morgan said: "I wasn't actually sacked, despite what you may have read. I had a four-year contract and they offered me a two-year deal to do 25 shows a year."

He said he "thought long and hard" but missed the UK and wanted to come back.

Morgan also admitted his tireless campaign for tighter gun control laws in the US rubbed many Americans up the wrong way.

Around half to 60% of the US "love their guns," according to Morgan. He compared it to going to Germany and telling Germans not to speed on the autobahn.

Morgan said he was told: "They definitely don't want to hear this, but they don't want to hear it from that accent. They kicked King George III out with guns, the last thing they want to hear is a British Guy talk about guns."